JPH0576726A - Ozone removing device for image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To sufficiently decrease ozone conc. of a exhaust air without deteriorating discharging ability. CONSTITUTION:Each of the ozone removing member 4, 5 is provided on the upstream side and downstream side of the exhaust air of the exhaust fan 3 provided on the exhaust air part 2 in the device proper and the air containing ozone in the device proper is discharged out of the equipment after cone. of ozone is sufficiently decreased by passing through the ozone removing members 4 and 5 in two stages. And the exhaust air is smoothly discharged out of the equipment by making the upstream side thicker than the downstream side in thickness of the two ozone removing members 4, 5 or by making the exhaust air upstream side of the ozone removing member 4 finer than the downstream side of the ozone removing member 5 in roughness of mesh.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is provided in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, and has a gas permeable ozone removing member provided in an exhaust portion provided with an exhaust fan in the main body of the apparatus. The present invention relates to an ozone removing device that removes contained ozone.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer is provided with various chargers such as a charging charger. Ozone is generated from this charger during its operation, which not only adversely affects the function of the photoconductor, but also when it is discharged outside the machine without being sufficiently removed, it also affects the human body. Have an adverse effect. Therefore, recently, the standards for the concentration of ozone discharged to the outside of the aircraft have become strict, and reduction of the ozone concentration has become an important issue in terms of safety.

Therefore, in order to reduce the concentration of ozone discharged to the outside of the machine as much as possible, for example, the ozone filter has a double structure of a low-density cell ozone filter and a high-density cell ozone filter, and the air flow has a low density. The ozone removal device (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-181513) in which the ozone removal performance is improved by flowing from the side to the high density side, and an ozone filter is arranged on the upstream side with respect to the air flow of the exhaust fan. To remove the ozone gas to improve the exhaust efficiency (JP-A-60-233).
No. 664) is proposed.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional ozone removing apparatus, since the filter which serves as an ozone removing member in the former case has a double structure, the exhaust air passing therethrough has a large resistance. As a result, the exhaust performance to the outside of the machine deteriorates (the exhaust efficiency decreases), and the temperature inside the machine body inside the machine tends to rise.

Further, in the latter case, although the exhaust efficiency is improved, there is a problem that the ozone removal efficiency is deteriorated. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to make it possible to sufficiently reduce the ozone concentration without deteriorating the exhaust performance.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gas permeable ozone removing member in an exhaust portion provided with an exhaust fan in a main body of an apparatus, and exhausts air exhausted by the exhaust fan. In the ozone removing device of the image forming apparatus in which the ozone contained in the above is removed by the ozone removing member, the ozone removing members are installed on the exhaust upstream side and the downstream side of the exhaust fan, respectively.

In the ozone removing device of the image forming apparatus, the thickness of the ozone removing member on the upstream side of exhaust gas in the exhaust direction is made thicker than the thickness of the ozone removing member on the downstream side of exhaust gas in the exhaust direction, or the exhaust gas is exhausted. It is effective to make the upstream ozone removing member finer than the exhaust downstream ozone removing member.

[0008]

According to the ozone removing apparatus of the image forming apparatus having the above-described structure, since the ozone removing members are respectively located on the exhaust upstream side and the downstream side of the exhaust fan, the fan removes the air inside the apparatus main body to the exhaust upstream side. Air is sucked through the ozone removing member, and the sucked air is then discharged to the outside of the machine through the ozone removing member on the exhaust downstream side. Therefore, the air containing ozone in the device body is discharged to the outside of the machine through the two ozone removing members. By doing so, the ozone concentration can be sufficiently reduced.

Then, the thickness of the two ozone removing members in the exhaust direction is made thicker than the ozone removing member on the upstream side of the exhaust gas or the thickness of the ozone removing member on the upstream side of the exhaust gas is coarse. If the thickness is made smaller than that of the ozone removing member on the downstream side, the resistance of the exhaust air when passing through the ozone removing member on the exhaust downstream side becomes smaller than that when passing through the ozone removing member on the exhaust upstream side. , It will be discharged more smoothly out of the machine.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an ozone removing device of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the ozone removing device of this image forming apparatus, the ozone removing members (filters) 4 and 5 having air permeability are provided in the exhaust section 2 provided with the exhaust fan 3 in the apparatus main body 1, and the exhaust fan 3 in the apparatus main body 1 The ozone contained in the exhaust air discharged by sucking the air in the direction of arrow A to the outside of the machine is removed by the ozone removing members 4 and 5.

The ozone removing members 4 and 5 are both formed of a fibrous activated carbon sheet in a honeycomb shape, and the ozone removing member 4 is provided on the exhaust upstream side (left side in the drawing) of the exhaust fan 3.
The ozone removing members 5 are installed on the downstream side, and they are attached to the inlet and the outlet of the case 6. The thickness t1 of the ozone removing member 4 on the exhaust upstream side in the exhaust direction is made thicker than the thickness t2 of the ozone removing member 5 on the exhaust downstream side in the exhaust direction.

The ozone removing device has such a structure that air containing ozone generated from various chargers such as a charging charger (not shown) provided in the device body 1 rotates the exhaust fan 3. By doing so, the ozone is first sucked into the case 6 through the ozone removing member 4 on the upstream side of the exhaust gas, and the ozone contained therein is removed when passing through the case 6.

Next, the exhaust air sucked into the case 6 is exhausted to the outside of the machine through the ozone removing member 5 on the exhaust downstream side by the wind force of the rotating exhaust fan 3, and is still exhausted when passing therethrough. Ozone contained in the air is removed. As described above, in this embodiment, the ozone in the exhaust air is removed by the two-stage ozone removing member, so that the ozone concentration in the exhaust air can be sufficiently reduced and the ozone can be exhausted to the outside of the machine.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 2, the thickness of the ozone removing member 15 is t = t1 + t2, which is the total thickness of the ozone removing members 4 and 5 of FIG. Exhaust fan 3 with the same removal members 4 and 5
If one is provided on the upstream side of the exhaust gas, the air containing ozone in the apparatus main body 1 is sucked by the exhaust fan 3 through the thick ozone removing member 15 and discharged to the outside of the machine. However, since the ozone removing member 15 is thick and has a large resistance (poor air permeability), it is difficult to exhaust the air inside the apparatus main body 1 to the outside of the apparatus, and the temperature inside the apparatus tends to rise.

That is, in the case of the ozone removing apparatus of FIG. 2, even if the ozone-containing air in the apparatus body 1 is sucked by the suction force of the exhaust fan 3, the ozone removing member 1
Since the airflow resistance of 5 is large, the air inside the device body 1 is difficult to be sucked into the case 6, so that a part of the air outside the machine is discharged from the gap formed between the tip of the exhaust fan 3 and the inner surface of the case 6. As indicated by the arrow B, the air is sucked into the case 6 (backflow), and the exhaust air discharged by the exhaust fan 3 in the direction of the arrow C includes the air due to the backflow. Exhaustability of the air in 1 to the outside of the machine deteriorates, leading to an increase in temperature inside the machine.

However, according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the exhaust fan 3 sucks only the air in the apparatus main body 1 into the case 6 through the ozone removing member 4, and only the sucked air (the air by the backflow is generated). (Not included) is discharged to the outside of the machine through the ozone removing member 5, so that the ozone concentration in the discharged air can be sufficiently reduced and the exhaust efficiency of discharging the air in the main body of the apparatus to the outside of the machine can be improved. ..

In this embodiment, as described above, the thickness t1 of the ozone removing member 4 on the upstream side of the exhaust in the exhaust direction.
Is the thickness t of the ozone removing member 5 on the exhaust downstream side in the exhaust direction.
Since it is thicker than 2, the ozone removal members 4 and 5
If the material and the roughness are the same, the exhaust air has a smaller air flow resistance when passing through the ozone removing member 5 than the air flow resistance when passing through the ozone removing member 4. (Low pressure loss), smoother exhaust performance can be obtained.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the speed of air flow and the pressure loss. As is clear from this diagram, the ozone removing member 5 (thickness t2) on the exhaust downstream side having a small thickness is shown. Is less pressure loss. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the speed of air flow and the ozone removal rate. As can be seen from this diagram, under the same air flow speed, the ozone removing member (thickness t2) having a smaller thickness has a lower ozone removing rate. Therefore, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the ozone removing member 4 on the upstream side of the thicker exhaust gas has a better ozone removing property than the ozone removing member 5 on the downstream side.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of an ozone removing device in which the roughness of the ozone removing member on the upstream side of the exhaust gas is made different from that of the ozone removing member on the downstream side of the exhaust gas. The same reference numerals are attached. This ozone remover
The ozone removing member 24 on the exhaust upstream side has finer (closer) meshes of the fibrous activated carbon sheet than the ozone removing member 25 on the exhaust downstream side, and the distance between the ozone removing member 24 and the exhaust fan 3 is smaller than that. The distance between the ozone removing member 25 and the exhaust fan 3 is lengthened, and a duct 26 is connected between them.

The ozone removing members 24 and 25 are
Although the thicknesses t3 and t4 in the exhaust direction are made substantially the same so that only the roughness of the meshes is different, the ozone removing member 24 on the exhaust upstream side may be made thicker as in the embodiment of FIG. .. Further, in this ozone removing device, the exhaust fan 3, the ozone removing members 24 and 25, the duct 26, and the case 6 are integrated into a unit to improve the assemblability and the maintainability.

Also in this embodiment, the ozone concentration in the exhaust air can be sufficiently reduced as in the embodiment of FIG. 1, while the air in the apparatus main body 1 can be efficiently exhausted to the outside of the machine. .. Although the respective embodiments of the ozone removing device of the image forming apparatus have been described above, in each of the embodiments, the exhaust fan 3 serves to suppress the temperature rise in the apparatus main body 1 and to remove ozone contained in the air. Since it has two functions of discharging the exhaust air through the ozone removing member 24, the device can be downsized and the space can be saved accordingly.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, the ozone-removing device which is space-saving can sufficiently remove the ozone in the exhausted air without deteriorating the exhaust performance to bring the ozone concentration to a safe level. Can be discharged to the outside of the machine.

In addition, the thickness of the two ozone removing members in the exhaust direction is made thicker than the ozone removing member on the upstream side of the exhaust gas, or the thickness of the ozone removing member on the upstream side of the exhaust gas is increased. If the exhaust air is made smaller than the ozone removal member on the downstream side, the resistance of the exhaust air when passing through the ozone removal member on the exhaust downstream side becomes smaller than that when passing through the ozone removal member on the exhaust upstream side. The air is more smoothly discharged to the outside of the machine, and the rise in the temperature inside the machine can be suppressed more reliably.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an ozone removing device of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a problem that occurs when one thick ozone removing member is provided on an exhaust upstream side of an exhaust fan.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the speed of air flow and pressure loss.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the speed of air flow and the ozone removal rate.

5 is a schematic configuration diagram similar to FIG. 1, showing another embodiment of the ozone removing device of the image forming apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Device main body 2 Exhaust part 3 Exhaust fan 4, 5, 15, 24,
25 ozone removing member 6 case 26 duct

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An ozone removing member having air permeability is provided in an exhaust portion provided with an exhaust fan in the main body of the apparatus, and ozone contained in air discharged by the exhaust fan is removed by the ozone removing member. In the ozone removing apparatus of the image forming apparatus, the ozone removing member is installed on the exhaust upstream side and the exhaust side of the exhaust fan, respectively. 2. The ozone removing device of the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the ozone removing member on the exhaust upstream side in the exhaust direction is thicker than the thickness of the ozone removing member on the exhaust downstream side in the exhaust direction. An ozone removing device for an image forming apparatus, characterized in that 3. The ozone removing device of the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ozone removing member on the exhaust upstream side has a finer mesh than the ozone removing member on the exhaust downstream side. Ozone removal device for forming equipment.